Training
by kitkags
Summary: Kagome offers to show Izuku a way to control his powers.


_**AN: Originally posted to my**_ tumblr _ **for the**_ xover _ **gift exchange last year. This was my contribution, and my lazy**_ self has _ **only just gotten round to posting it here.**_

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"Hey, Izuku-kun!" The cheerful voice startled him from his thoughts, and he turned bewildered green eyes towards the girl who leant slightly over his shoulder. As soon as he registered that it was a girl – Kagome – his face flushed scarlet.

"H-Higurashi-san!" Izuku's voice was several octaves higher than usual, and Kagome repressed the giggle that it usually elicited.

"I thought I said to call me Kagome?" She teased, sliding to sit down on the grassy incline on the school grounds. It was rare for her to see the green haired boy alone, usually he was with Ochaco and Tenya. "How come you're sat out here alone? Are you feeling okay?"

"Everything's fine I'm just—- waitwhatareyoudoing?" He squeaked when her cool hand pressed against his forehead gently, the blush that had begun to slowly fade returning so quick he felt like he might pass out. Luckily, her cool touch was almost calming, if it wasn't the source of his heat.

"Just checking you're not sick or anythin'," Kagome said cheerfully, pausing before prompting him to continue with, "You were saying?"

Izuku shrugged, feeling a bit awkward under her full attention. Whenever her blue eyes would turn to him he always felt nervous, an anxiety that clawed deep within his belly and made him feel like he made of jello. When they was in class her attention was usually divided amongst their classmates, which made it easier for him to ease himself into conversation with her. 'Kagome makes my normally terrible social skills even worse,'

"Izuku-kun?" Kagome said, concern tingeing her voice. She knew he was prone to getting lost in thought but she wondered what his mind was tumbling over for him to suddenly look a thousand miles away. "Are you sure you're okay, Izuku-kun?" She asked again, softly.

At her soft voice, Izuku suddenly was brought back into reality and he laughed nervously. "Erm, I-I'm fine, just y'know, thinking about stuff." He looked up, not realising when he had started avoiding her eyes and as soon as he noticed her unwavering stare he 'eeped' and returned to staring at his fingers, which he twiddled animatedly.

"Are you upset because you aren't very good at controlling your quirk yet?"

Izuku stilled, suddenly. Kagome's proximity was the only thing he was currently concerned about, but before that he had been sitting here thinking about that very thing. Awkwardly he rubbed at the muscles of his neck, chuckling hollowly. "Is my lack of skill that obvious?"

No one other than All Might himself and a few others knew about his Quirk, and even Izuku's own understanding of it was limited. To Kachan and those from his life before UA he was simply a late developer, to those at UA he was a force of – unstable, uncertain - power. 'I guess it's no secret that using One For All damages me….' It would only be a simple deduction, then, that such a result was due to a lack of skill in using his quirk. It was a convenient excuse in class, if not a humbling one.

Kagome's smile was gentle and he could see an understanding in her eyes that he didn't fully understand. Yet again he was overcome with the feeling that she inspired in him, along with the thought that she could see right through him. 'Her Quirk is energy blasts not clairvoyance, Izuku!' He nodded to himself once at the thought, secure in the knowledge that she couldn't possibly know about his and All Mights secret.

Kagome noticed him drifting off within his mind again, and with a roll of her eyes she flicked him gently in the forehead. "Earth to Izuku – is there any sign of life in there?"

His cheeks tinged pink, but he laughed at her gentle teasing. "No sign of life anywhere, I'm afraid!" Both laughed, and Izuku felt the tension that had his back hunched leave him. He automatically leant back on his hands, enjoying the sun that beat down on them and the companionship that slowly became comfortable.

"Anyway, Izuku-kun," Kagome said, picking a daisy from the grass and twirling it in her fingers. He noticed then that she was making a daisy crown – how long had she been doing that? – her nimble fingers tracing the green stem softly. "It's isn't always easy controlling the power inside of you. Sometimes even I find it hard, directing my power."

That caught his attention. "You make it looks so effortless!"

Kagome laughed, shaking her head. "It takes a lot of effort, I'll have you know!" Kagome never took her eyes from her task of making her daisy crown, and Izuku himself found himself mesmirized by her quick actions. Soon enough, she was finished and she placed it on her lap gently. "Would you like to wear it?" Kagome asked, lifting it slightly.

"M-me? Nooooooo, I think it would look better on you!" The thought of all the attention he would get for wearing it was enough to make him want to faint. No doubt Kachan would say something mean and although the dynamic of the class was different now – he wans't being bullied relentlessly for one – he still didn't want to make himself an easier target than he already was.

"Are you sure? I think you would like quite fetching!" Kagome grinned, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Suit yourself, Izuku-kun – but be warned! You're missing out."

"Thank you for the heads up Higuras- ah, Kagome-chan." Izuku quickly corrected herself at the sharp glare she shot him. 'Her glare was scarier than Kachan's…'

"Would you like me to show you how to help you with controlling your Quirk?"

"Eh?"

"I said, would you like me to show you how to control your Quirk."

"Oh, erm – I couldn't possibly impose!" Izuku floundered. He was incredibly interested in what exactly she would have him do, and wondered if it would be something that would ultimately be useful to his goal to master his new Quirk, but he also didn't want to impose. What if she is only asking to be polite-

"I insit." Suddenly Kagome had moved to sit facing him directly, sitting in a comfortable seiza. "Let's begin," She said, voice calm yet forceful.

"What? Here?" He glanced at the students that were milling around the school grounds. School hadn't finished too long ago, and there were still plenty of people slowly vacating the grounds. "Uh – what if people see?"

Kagomes calm facade broke as she let out a laugh. "So what? We aren't doing anything wrong!" When her giggles subsided, she let out a slow breathe and then breathed in deeply. 'You need to channel your inner Miroku, Kagome! Think Zen!'

"Ignore everyone else and follow my lead. Sit like this, please," Izuku decided to simply do as she asked, knowing by now that arguing with her never ended well. "Very good, Izuku-kun." She murmured, encouragingly. "Have you ever meditated before?"

Izuku titled his head in thought for a moment, before giving his head a short shake. Kagome hummed to herself softly, and he watched as she looked around as if looking for inspiration. "I was taught that meditation is a great way at centring yourself. It offers you a moment of introspection and allows you to feel your own energy, but to be honest I always found it difficult. I guess I've always found it easier to visualise my power."

Izuku nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah!" He quipped, understanding what she meant. "I like to think of my power like an egg in a microwave!"

Kagome's eye brows raised incredulously. "An egg in a microwave?" She shook her head with a smile and snort. "You're so….," She drifted off, and a part of him worried that she suddenly thought he was weird or stupid or – "You. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

"T-thanks," He stuttered, butterflies fluttering not just in his stomach but in his ribcage.

"The way I visualise my power is like water. I was told all energy flows in the same way water does. It pools more heavily in some areas than others, but its always there, moving."

The visualisation made sense, perhaps more than his Egg-In-Microwave imagery. When he closed his eyes to try and visualise his energy, his mind naturally defaulted to flowing water. "Certain parts of you will conduct the water easily, while others will act as a dam. These dams can be frustrating, but it's important not to push them, otherwise too much power will spill out at once." Kagome's voice was a soft low whisper, and he allowed her words to guide him. "Izuku-kun," he opened his eyes, watched as she lifted a hand. A blue glow enveloped her fingertips, the appendages becoming almost translucent. He was fixated on the feel of the raw energy that emanated from her hand. "See how I struggle to push the energy into my hand and maintain it?" Green eyes narrowed, and he leaned forwards slightly to see better.

"The energy builds but struggles to find release. The energy in the palm of your hand is strong, however it thins out and is uneven in your fingers-"

Kagome watched him mumble to himself as he observed the energy she held in her hands. She smiled slightly at the sound of his hurried whispers, finding them entertaining and more than a little adorable. She knew that sometimes the class would tease him when he did it, resulting in the curly haired male stuttering out an apology, but she always enjoyed seeing his enthusiasm when it came to knowledge. 'I wish I could throw myself into learning so easily.' Calloused fingers wrapped around her hand, tugging it – and her - closer to the other male, the shock of his touch caused jump slightly, the momentary loss of concentration causing her power to zip across her skin like lightning and zap him.

"I'm sorry Izuku-kun, I-I wasn't concentrating enough!"

Izuku held the moderately injured hand in his other, fingers absently massaging the stinging flesh, wondering at the tingles left behind in the aftershocks. "That was more like electricity than water!" He flashed a bright smile. "And it's okay, Kagome-chan, I shouldn't have just grabbed you like that, I deserve it." Flexing his hand, he decided that there was no real damage done. "Thank you for showing me how your power works, that was really useful."

Once she was sure Izuku wasn't in any real pain, she let herself relax slightly. "Why don't you try it? Close your eyes, imagine that your power is water that you have to carefully pour into a certain area."

Izuku nodded, suddenly determined. He had tried hard to learn how to direct his power into his limbs, however he was mostly unsuccessful in directing it in a way that wouldn't cause him harm. If this could help him he would be able to show All Might how far he had came and he would also be in Kagome's debt. Green eyes slid closed, and lifting his hand he held it in front of him. In his minds eye he pictured his Quirk as a rolling green lake at his core. Breathing deeply, he imagined the lake giving way into a lake, his arm the riverbed as liquid gently flowed down.

Kagome watched as the power that he held in his centre expanded out, slowly at first, before more and more trickling into his hand. His skin glowed, the light of his power from within building beneath the surface. Sweat dripped down the side of Izuku's face, dark curls matting slightly to his forehead. Still, he held his arm in the air and continued to push more and more energy into his own fingers.

Within Izuku, the dam broke and suddenly there was too much energy flowing through him. More than he was able to direct steadily. He understood what she meant, that it was hard to control the flow. When he failed to stop the deluge his arm suddenly became too heavy. The power stuttered and flared out, and he shot his eyes open when he released that familiar feeling of energy building and - attempting - to release. Was he going to let loose a Delaware Smash? He felt a shout bubble in his throat, "Kagome! Get away I can't control it!" – is what he wanted to say, but then Kagome's fingers wrapped around his hand suddenly, her own power instantly enveloping his and snuffing it out. The tension in his arm and entire body released and he slumped forwards slightly.

"You over did it there, but I think you did wonderfully! With enough practise you should be able to push enough energy into your hand – or any part of your body! – without having to push yourself so much. Let's do this again tomorrow, ne?"

"T-tomorrow?" He asked, not sure if he was willing to almost level the school in the name of training again. 'She managed to stop it though….how?'

That was another mystery for another day, because he came to the realisation that she was still holding his hand, her own fingers softly brushing against his much like he saw her doing to the delicate daisys she had plucked earlier. "E-erm, uh, K-Kagome-chan you're still holding my hand!" – Was what he was about to say, but all of a sudden Kachan was stood behind her, hands in pockets with his usual scowl.

"Oi, Kagome – are we walking home or not?" His eyes were frozen in a permanent glare. "Or are you just going to play girlfriend to Deku?" Izuku flushed at the implication but noted the jealousy in his voice. He wasn't sure if he was shaking from nervousness, embarrassment or fear.

Kagome simply rolled her eyes at him, giving his hand one last squeeze. "I'm coming you jerk – can't you be patient for like five minutes?" But she grinned as she said this, and her voice was tinged with amusement. In class his and her arguments were almost legendary, Kagome brushing off his anger and rudeness with the same confidence she did most thing. The green haired boy found it incredibly admirable, especially since he knew how scary the fiery boy's temper could be.

Kagome grabbed her bag and slung it over one shoulder, dusting off her skirt before bending down to pick up the daisy chain she had absentmindedly strung to the ground. He saw her mischievous grin and realised instantly what she was about to do with mild horror and wonder. Sending him a wink and a wave, she bounced towards the blonde who was still glaring at them.

"Oh, Kachan~ I made something for you~!" Kagome sang, skipping closer and sliding up to him as she held her weaponized daisy crown behind her back. To Bakugo's credit he took a few steps back, away from her obvious scheme but unfortunately for him she was too quick and she reached forwards, half-slamming the flower crown onto his head before breaking into a sprint down the footpath to the school's gates.

"WHAT KIND OF GIRLY BULLSHIT IS THIS?" He roared, bolting after her.

And then all of a sudden he was alone, a wide grin splitting his face as he starred into space. 'She sure is something, huh?'

"Hm, isn't young love grand Young Midoriya?" A familiar, booming voice shouted from behind sending him half jumping out of his skin.

"A-All Might!" He scrambled to stand up, feeling like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. Wait, what had he said? WAIT. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING US?!"

A powerful laugh was his only reply.


End file.
